Wake in Fright

Synopsis

John Grant, a young teacher whose overnight stay in a rough outback mining town extends to a five-day nightmarish odyssey of drinking, gambling, hunting and more drinking, plunges toward his own destruction.

Got this wrong, for some reason; thought it was like STRAW DOGS, wimpy city type (a schoolteacher) terrorised by hicks, whereas it’s more like WALKABOUT in reverse, not a case of venturing deep into the Outback and gradually eliciting some kind of wisdom but a case of trying in vain to get out, back to civilisation, and sinking ever further into degradation.

By including what is essentially documentary footage of the unrelenting destruction of Australia’s most recognisable icon [kangaroos], Canadian Kotcheff undid a decade or so of largely sunny touristic commercial cinema and government documentary and aided in ushering in a grittier, bolder and more daring era of Australian film.

With its heat-bleached palette, soundtrack of buzzing flies, and scene upon scene of matted faces swilling can upon can of West End lager, Wake in Fright is perhaps the most dehydrating experience in all cinema… The film is about a no-exit inferno — though the hell is perhaps not the hypermacho outpost of Bundanyabba, but rather masculinity itself.

A furious pitbull of a film which grabs you by the scruff of the neck and forces onto you the inescapable hell and extremities of machismo that rule in an unforgivingly brutal, parched landscape, 'The Yabba'. Any resistance to conform to the status quo is met with aggressive persuasion. This film masterfully depicts this futility in a compellingly graphic way. Donald Pleasance is brilliant as the ferocious alpha.

The Outback is not a place; it is a state of mind. John Grant, the protagonist, will not feel at home anywhere, because there is something empty inside him. And possibly, this spiritual affliction is a symptom of the very culture he despises. Either way, the Outback is only a beer away. Please drive responsibly

Great performances and cinematography, as well as an intriguing look into the nature of addiction and living a lifestyle of decay and abandon. The kangaroo hunting sequence is amazingly painful and hard to watch, in a frighteningly, brutally, and truthful way. Gary Bond, looking like a young Peter O’Toole, and Donald Pleasence give great performances, embodying their characters powerfully.

Also should be titled "Fear And Loathing In the 'Yabba". This was quite a film experience I had. The cinematography is pretty superb, it's one of those like-it-or-not rare gems with a little unique touch.

An unsettling and hypnotic slow-burn, this is After Hours in The Outback, where one mistake leads to a trip down madness & chaos. Not the best film to show to possible vacationers or animal lovers (naturally). Thought it may be a week-long vacation from hell but this "horror film" grips you, like a kangaroo in a spotlight in a hypnotic gaze.

An unhappy man descends into savagery and degeneracy during an alcohol-soaked weekend in rural Australian town. Fun becomes violence becomes self-loathing. Thoroughly frightening, completely brutal, and not at all an enjoyable portrait of humanity. A classic for a reason, the performances are sweaty and unhinged while the cinematography is gritty and raw. A bleak and desolate affair from start to finish.

Hot, sweaty grizzly film making. A artifact realised to the point perfection in tone. It carries so much desolation, heat and dread as John falls deeper and deeper into the nightmare of this town. All done with stellar performances, vigorous camera movements and enthralling editing. I loved it. 5/5